Stop showing those vulgar images on TV

ChildLine: Shameless display...

going down low: Masqueraders wine
low on the roadway during Tuesday’s
Carnival Parade of the Bands on
South Quay, Port of Spain.
—Photo: ANISTO ALVES

MF

The vulgar behaviour at Car­nival is shameful and it is time to revisit whether there should be a live feed of the celebrations, which should not be viewed by young children, says Child­Line co-ordinator Mary Moonan.

ChildLine, founded in 2002, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that provides a helpline, 800-4321, to assist and rescue children who are phy­sically or sexually abused.

“I don’t think it is acceptable to continue like this, and I think the media houses must also be held responsible for displaying these things because I know, some­times, they ac­tually look for couples that are doing the most vulgar gyration to show them on TV and then, of course, when the particular couple realise that they are on live TV, their behaviour goes from bad to worse. We have to stop that, that is within our control; they need to set very clear guidelines as to what they will show on TV,” Moonan said.

She said the costumes have gone “overboard” and the behaviour of some masqueraders was unacceptable.

“That is not what Carnival is all about. I find it shameful and I find it a very poor example being set for our children who see men and women gyrating against each other; I mean, the only thing that is left for the imagination is the clothes they have on or the costume they have on, but otherwise, I don’t think that is the way one should display one’s emotions in public,” Moonan said.

“I am not against sex; people who wish to have sex can have it in the privacy of wherever they wish to have it, but not in pub­lic and where it is be­ing shown on live TV to anyone who is watching and, more often than not, it would be young children,” she added.

She asked how a parent could teach their children to not behave in this manner when adults are behaving this way, and even parents them­selves.

“When one is high on whatever they are drinking and whatever else they may be smoking, can we leave it up to individual responsibility? Society has to decide what is acceptable behaviour and what is not, and what is not, needs to be removed, if need be, enforced by the police,” she said.

Port of Spain Mayor Ray­mond Tim Kee had also knocked the behavi­our of masqueraders, saying it was “vulgar and rep­rehensible”.